Stephen Hawking auction: Wheelchair and thesis sell for over $1 million

A collection of the late physicist Stephen Hawkings possessions are going up for sale by Christie’s.
Buzz60

A gallery assistant views a motorized wheelchair owned by Stephen Hawking from1988 during a preview for the Sale On the Shoulders of Giants at Christies Auction House in London, Britain.(Photo: NEIL HALL, EPA-EFE)

Legendary physicist Stephen Hawking's wheelchair and thesis sold for more than $1 million combined at an online auction that ended Thursday.

The motorized red and maroon leather wheelchair Hawking used from the late-1980s to the mid-1990s sold for $393,000, well above its estimated value of $18,900. His doctoral thesis went for $767,000, more than four times its estimated value. The Hawking items were two of nearly two dozen that went up for sale at Christie's, a global auctioneer headquartered in London, on Oct. 31.

Other items included: Hawking's well-known 1988 book "A Brief History of Time" signed with his thumbprint sold for $89,750. A bomber jacket Hawking wore during a 2016 documentary that went for $52,200 as well as the original script for his final appearance on "The Simpsons" that sold for $8,160.

Hawking died in March at age 76. In addition to his scientific work, he also was known for a direct and dry wit.